The round of 16 kicked off on Saturday with Italy marching into the last eight by the skin of their teeth, and a tactical Denmark making an effervescent Wales look ordinary. The Azzurri created a world record by extending their unbeaten run to 31 games, and the Danes made it to their first quarterfinal in 17 years.

Now, it’s time to focus on the newsmakers of tonight. The Netherlands will hope to continue their goal-scoring spree versus Czech Republic, and look to beat the side that denied them a Euro 2016 qualification. In the other game, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to hog the limelight with a world record in sight.

Let’s delve into what’s in store:

Czech Republic vs Netherlands (9:30 pm IST)
Venue: Ferenc Puskas Stadium

The Netherlands, who have returned to a major international tournament after seven years, have enjoyed a satisfactory group stage outing. With their goals coming thick and fast -- three versus North Macedonia and Ukraine and two against Austria --, one might think there’s scope for complacency in the Dutch dugout. But assistant coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy has asked his team to learn from past mistakes, and not let their guard down. “I talked about it with the group. That’s why it was important not to loosen the reins too much after Austria,” Nistelrooy told reporters on Friday, referring to their 2-0 victory in their second match. “Because then it’s difficult to get back into the flow.”

The Netherlands will be wary of what lies ahead at the Puskas Arena, especially if they underestimate their opponents. It was a mistake they made in the Euro 2016 qualification, losing both home and away to the Czechs and failing to make the tournament in France. It was the same at the 2004 finals when the Czechs came from two goals down to beat the Dutch 3-2 in a last-gasp triumph in the group phase.

Dutch head coach Frank de Boer is effusing confidence, and believes his side has the right mix to win the Euro 2020 crown. “If we make the top four, then I think we've done a good job. But the goal is to win the final, then it is completely successful.There are many teams who believe the same thing and who have a lot of quality. You don't just become a champion, there is a lot it takes to get there, but we have the qualities to do it. But to achieve this everything has to be right,” De Boer told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.

Dutch captain Georginio Wijnaldum moved quickly this week to dispel any notion they saw the Czechs as inferior opposition. “Everyone has seen Germany against the Hungarians, right? We are viewing the Czech Republic as a top country and approaching the game as such,” he said.

The Czechs’ impressive record at the Euros has been understated. Since 1996 they have not only qualified for every tournament, but have made it past the group phase four times. They were runners-up in 1996, semi-finalists in 2004 and made the last eight in 2012.

Players to watch out for:

In Patrik Schick, the Czech’s possess an in-form striker, with three goals at the tournament so far, including an astonishing effort from near the halfway line against Scotland in their opening game. With three goals in the tournament so far, Georgino Wijnaldum might operate in a more attacking role. De Boer will also look for Memphis Depay to carry forward his group stage magic.

Portugal vs Belgium (12: 30 am IST, Monday)
Venue: Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla

Cristiano Ronaldo certainly attracts most of the attention, just not all of the attention. CR7 is on the verge of becoming the all-time leading scorer in international football versus Belgium in the round of 16. But the Belgians won't be focused only on Ronaldo.

"If you see a Portugal shirt on the street, it's 99% a Ronaldo shirt," Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen, who plays for Portuguese club Benfica, said Saturday.

"He's the biggest player in the history of Portugal and we have to respect that, I respect him a lot. But tomorrow it's not Belgium against Ronaldo, its Belgium against Portugal and they have a lot of good players."

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said there won't be an anti-Ronaldo plan for the match. “When you put a plan against a player specifically, you could be hurt by other players,” said Martinez, a Spaniard who will be coaching in his homeland for the first time in an official competition.

"Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be the player that gets the right moment, that right pass and the right chance and you have to be always aware, but you have to defend the 10 players of Portugal in the same measure." Martinez said Portugal have several good players in their squad to support Ronaldo, from Bernardo Silva to Diogo Jota to Bruno Fernandes to Renato Sanches to Joao Moutinho.

“We all know that Portugal has a group of phenomenal individuals,” Martinez said Saturday. "They are a winning team, they've been able to work without the ball for long spells and be very comfortable and be a real threat on the counterattack. They have real experience, they are the European champions, they won the Nations League."

Ronaldo is the tournament's leading scorer with five goals in three matches. He is one goal from breaking the overall men's scoring record in international soccer. The 36-year-old Juventus striker is level with former Iran striker Ali Daei at 109 goals.

"We all know he's one of the best footballers in the world," Martinez said.

"Every player adapts when you get a little bit older, you become a little more clinical with what you do. I think Cristiano Ronaldo knows how to use the space, he penetrates from different areas, he's got an incredible aerial threat."

But Belgium also have their threats, from Kevin De Bruyne to Eden Hazard to Romelu Lukaku, who has three goals entering the knockout stages. De Bruyne and Hazard, along with Axel Witsel, are back after gradually returning to the team during the group matches. They had not been completely available during Belgium's preparations because of injuries.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos said he also isn't preparing a plan to contain specific Belgium players. "We can't give their team space. We can't let them think without being disrupted by us," Santos said Saturday.

"They have been playing together for a long time." The Red Devils, ranked No. 1 in the world, have won 13 straight games, including their three group games at Euro 2020 and all 10 qualifiers for the tournament.

"We are full of confidence, full of momentum," Martinez said. "We look forward to seeing how we can improve and how much we can enjoy this occasion, because at the end of the day, it's when we enjoy our football that we play at our best, and we need to do that."

Portugal had only one win in its three group matches, against Hungary in the opener. They then lost to Germany and drew with France to advance from the difficult Group F as one of the best third-place teams.

Portugal had only one win in 90 minutes during the entire tournament at Euro 2016, when they eventually broke through with their first major title by beating host France in the final. Belgium are now the team trying to end its title drought and lift its first major trophy. They were runners-up at the European Championship in 1980, and finished third three years ago at the World Cup for their best finish at that tournament.

"This is a special generation, it's been committed to international football," Martinez said. "We've been working a lot in becoming better. We've got six players with very close to 100 caps, two players very close to 90 caps. This is an exceptional generation. We are just trying to adapt to what's going to be needed on Sunday and be as good as we can."

Players to watch out for:

This is expected to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s night as he will look to break Ali Daei's record. But one must also watch out for Renato Sanchez and Bruno Fernandez, who will look to step up at such a pivotal stage. For Belgium, the full-time return of Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel will prove to be crucial, as the Red Devils will look to peak further. Romelu Lukaku will look to keep Rui Patricio on his toes.